Paramount has released the first trailer for Children of Blood and Bone, offering the fullest look yet at Gina Prince-Bythewood's adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi's bestselling 2018 novel (Variety).

The trailer landed on 28 July 2026, published by Variety alongside its coverage of the film. Paramount also dropped an "Inside the World of Orïsha" featurette on YouTube the day before, giving audiences a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the production (YouTube). The official teaser trailer is available on YouTube as well (YouTube).

Thuso Mbedu leads the cast as Zélie, a young woman with the power to command undead spirits in the fictional land of Orïsha. Damson Idris plays Prince Inan, Amandla Stenberg is Princess Amari, and Tosin Cole appears as Zélie's brother Tzain. Regina King plays Queen Nehanda, with Chiwetel Ejiofor as King Saran — the ruler who has sought to erase magic from the kingdom (Variety).

The supporting cast reads like a roll call of celebrated performers: Lashana Lynch, Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, and Viola Davis all appear in the film. Production took place across multiple locations on the African continent (Variety).

Paramount has set Children of Blood and Bone for release on 15 January 2027. That places it in the early-year corridor — the stretch after the holiday rush when studios often position event films with room to breathe at the box office.

The project has been a priority for the studio. Paramount closed its CinemaCon presentation in April 2026 with the film, bringing Prince-Bythewood and cast members on stage in Las Vegas to tease the adaptation (Paramount). The first trailer arrives a little over three months later, timed to build audience awareness well ahead of the January release.

Adeyemi's novel, published in 2018, became a publishing phenomenon — a young-adult fantasy rooted in West African mythology that spent time on the New York Times bestseller list and drew early comparisons to blockbuster franchises in the same genre space. The film adaptation has been in development since the book's rights were acquired, with Prince-Bythewood, whose credits include The Old Guard and Love & Basketball, eventually taking the director's chair.

For audiences, the trailer offers the first real sense of how the novel's magic system, political intrigue, and large ensemble translate to the screen. The January 2027 date gives the film a clear runway with limited direct competition in the fantasy genre — though that landscape can shift as other studios firm up their own release calendars.